ElevenSeventeen

Seven teenagers become a group of friends who wouldn't normally hang out together but found common ground and loved each other for it. These "Mysfits" must learn to depend on each other though their teenage years in the 1980s while battling the politics of high-school, race issues, and a mystery that literally threatens their lives. Relationships are built and bonds are formed and broken, while the faith of all is tested throughout the story. Some would say the ages between 11 and 17 are the most formative of a person's life. This would be true even if a guy didn't have to deal with bullies, bigots, and girls. Navigating high school in the 1980s wasn't easy for Phil, but with God's help and the support of his rather eclectic group of friends, the unbelievable became survivable and triumphant. Life can be hard, but there aren't many things that can stop the overwhelmingly persistent naivete of a teenager or two. Book one of this two-book series focuses on the senselessly complex world of middle school. The relationships, emotions, music, and malls of the eighties provide the wonderfully rich, vibrantly blank canvas onto which the teenage years of Phil and his friends are painted. A kid who thought he had it all together learns he didn't. A kid who thought he had it all together learns he didn't have to.